Redden Placed On WaiversThe Rangers finally cut their losses yesterday by waiving Wade Redden, two years after he signed a six-year, $39 million contract

Wade Redden

After much speculation, the Rangers finally bid adieu to
33-year-old defenseman Wade Redden yesterday.The former Ottawa Senator was placed on waivers and assuming no team
claims him, he’ll have the option to report to Hartford or pursue a career overseas (an
option that appears unlikely as Redden’s wife had a baby last week).His $6.5 million salary cap hit will be
erased for this season and for the remaining four years of his deal barring
unforeseen circumstances.

In his two years with the Rangers, Redden filled the role of
fans’ whipping boy previously occupied by Dmitri Kalinin and Marek Malik.Redden was signed to a massive six-year, $39
million deal two summers ago despite his rapidly declining career in Ottawa.At the time, GM Glen Sather was convinced
that Redden was exactly the type of power play quarterback and brilliant
first-passer that the Rangers lacked.Instead, Redden totaled just 35 assists and 40 points in 156 games with
the Blueshirts.Redden was also an
adventure in his own end on many nights, and fans quickly tuned on him.

There’s no doubt that Redden is still capable of playing in
the NHL.But he can no longer be
expected to fill anything more than a fifth or sixth defenseman role.His $6.5 million average cap hit, a high salary
for a No. 1 defenseman, makes him a huge liability.It’s not Redden’s fault that Sather offered
him such a lofty contract, but the Rangers had no choice but to cover their
losses.By erasing Redden’s contract,
the Rangers are now under the salary cap and free to keep whichever players on
the 20 man roster they desire without financial constraints.

With the top four defenders set in stone (Marc Staal, Dan
Girardi, Michael Del Zotto and Michal Rozsival), the Ranger now have six
players competing for the bottom two or three blue line spots.Garnet Exelby, Alexei Semenov, Ryan McDonagh,
Matt Gilroy, Pavel Valentenko and Steve Eminger are still fighting for roster
spots as of Sunday evening, but cuts are expected shortly.